live music things we like

The Cramatics @ The Winch Feb 2014

They're Good Looking, Young and Talented - how easy is it to hate The Cramatics?

I decided to find out at The Winchester on Friday night as the band had been booked to support Will and The People. Given that the Winch has the habit of putting on damn good bands I expected a good night and wasn't to be disappointed.

The smell of Jos sticks hung heavy in the air as the boys bounded onto the stage looking if truth be told a tiny bit nervous, but from the very first chord the crowd sat up and took notice. Instantly it was clear that this was a band that worked hard and thought about what they were going to do.

Milling about in the crowd for the photos I could hear singing going on so it's clear that the band have a good sized following in the town.

Sometimes bands run out of talent when they play live, the safety net of the studio being absent, the immediacy of real music fans tending to make them nervous and a lack of stage presence can become all too evident.

The opposite is true of The Cramatics. These Dorset based musicians know how to work a crowd and lead man Chris Reardon treated them to a high energy display of behind the head guitar playing and on stage general tomfoolery. The girlies in the front row were suitably impressed and there wasn't a dry seat in the house. I felt that their performance was hampered slightly by the size of the stage and would really like to seem them banging out some of their toons on a larger festival rig.

It's great to see a local Bournemouth band that works well, have great talent and are original. The Cramatics strike me as a group that could well take off after a good festival summer and a stonking album.

I expected a guitar heavy sound and I knew they were very much indie, what I didn't quite expect was the quality of the voice element. All of the front guys are great songsters and it's surprising how much depth this gives what could be a slightly light sound.

The set comprised mainly songs from their excellent EP 'Big machine' the pick of which for me are Spaceman and the effervescent Feel. Songs with strong hooks, poetic lyrics and danceability that were massively appreciated by the assembled throng.

Speaking to the guys after the gig it struck me that they are very approachable and genuinely nice guys (They've got it all. Grrrr) and they explained that this was the first time they had supported a headline act so forms part of their learning experience. Tick that one off.

MrsGigsandbands made the point that they are all good looking chaps (I think she may have said very) and that they project an easy and definitely saleable image. Overall the impression I formed was of a group of talented, down to earth musicians forming a big fat ball of potential. I'll be following them with interest.

If you've heard them on soundcloud or bought the EP then you've only seen and heard half of what they are capable of. Look out for their future appearance you'll have a great time.